[imc-uk-emergency] Regional autonomy wiki

[Space Bunny]

societelibre at riseup.net wrote:

>i created a wiki to start a discussion about regional autonomy, so that we can 
>have a meaningful debate in Sheffield, and maybe reach some concensus about 
>this issue. it is meant to be an open space, so please edit it and add your 
>ideas (maybe with your name and your region...)! It's on 
>http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Local/UkNetworkAutonomyDebate .
>
>I wrote a - somewhat long - text about it, why i think it's important, etc., 
>and explaining the three proposals addressing this issue i've heard of so 
>far. I didn't try to sell my idea or any other ideas, but rather to explain 
>what this debate is really about and present some concrete solutions and 
>improvements.
>

Regional Collectives are pretty much at moment  able to exercise control 
over features in their sub pages.

So it is the comments attached to them and newswire that this is about.

There seems to be only one incident where vince's collective felt they 
lost their local control over a newwire thread. And it seems to be 
forgotten that this was because anarchobabe who did the hidding did not 
know a debate about the thread was taking place on oxford list. Oxford 
could have chossen to unhide what ever they felt needed to be unhidden 
to have the thread display as they wished or at least one of their 
members. But it is  not clear even now if they came to consenus.
( see oxford lists )
Another time somebody who has just started helping with admin made 
soemthing an oxford feature. It just got deticked as an oxford feature 
and they learnt not to do this in future and this can be added to admins 
guide on wiki.

Anyway can any other examples be given.

I guess most of those engaged in Indymedia Scotland when it comes to the 
website are more into maintaining and helping with features, and see the 
newswire as just something that helps do features. Most of time some one 
from outside Scotland collective does something in admin to a thread 
that shows in scotland newswire it is wellcomed as saving us the job.

The only time somebody hide something, we would not, as they though was 
non - news as they did not realise that Chisholm was an MSP and that him 
apologising to people out side his office was news, we just unhide it. I 
can live with that happening for all the times it has been ehlp to have 
other hide stuff.

Most in IMC Scotland see newwire cleaning as a burden they are happy to 
share. 5 people from Scotland collective have choosen to have admin 
access to IMCUK MIR only one of them, anarchobabe sets aside time to do 
regular newswire cleaning.

Many hidding are obvious under editorial guidelines, it seems a waste of 
time and mental  if each collective has to do this on it own. We have 
limited resources of time and energy lets put them to best use.

It would mean less stuff hidden and a reducing of quality of newswires. 
I am in the hide to keep up quality camp, rather than the everything 
except those that cross the line camp on hiding policy.

I also like having one newswire that I can find everything that has not 
been hidden.

I feel separating of newswires would creat confusion and more 
complication than this move would intend to solve.
Also it does not help with autonomy  if the functionality one thinks one 
needs for has to be granted from outside group.

I dislike idea of within operating of MIRUK a status of UK volunteer as 
differnet from one in regional collectives and do not want to see a 
different set of UK tasks developed. Also one of reason that motivated 
the 'decentralisation' was London volunteers wishing to spread workload, 
not replicate it.

If there is going to be a UK selection tick box I would at least like it 
to be opt out of UK rather than opt in. As far as I am concerned 
something is not too local to be seen on front page.

Scotland is going to expand and develop it collective editorial under 
it's own site at http://scotland.indymedia.org .
Indymedia Scotland's collective interests in short term as far as  tech 
effort with IMCUK MIR is to bug fix and add functionality that make 
present feture creation easier ( eg attach image browsed/selected  by id 
) . Medium term is to intergrate RSS feeds from 
http://scotland.indymedia.org ( and hence other sites such as: 
http://bristol.indymedia.org/ ) with pages and newswires of IMCUK. Long 
Term it may be to see functionality of MIR admin develop to level of 
DadaIMC as as as voting, editorial functions. Much of dadaIMC editorial 
collaboration within a colective can go on within admin, with proposels, 
votes, approvale and dissent. ( if any one wants me to set up a test 
dada install so you can see just ask ). It would be good to combine this 
with advantage of static page model of MIR.

I think sub page on IMCUK should be about the features rather than 
newswires, and they don't need much to maintain, one person could do it.

In fact I think this was pointed out but in way of what have we created 
these regional groups for in only one person needed.

There is a wish here for all the Scotland  sub pages on IMCUK mir to 
stay online and not be removed. This may be obvious but I though I 
better state it.

When RSS feed intergration is up to cratch there may be decision to 
point publish to indpendent site. But that it long way off.

Many involved in IMC Scotland interact and meet through other projects 
but  anyway we hope to have another meeting here before  Network 
meeting. But there has never been that much desire of most people in 
Indymedia Scotland to spend overly large amounts of time and energy on 
steering the IMCUK network. That is why you don't here much from most of 
them, except me and anarchobabe. There seems a attitude from rest of 
lets keep the IMCUKers happy so don't rock boat by to they will continue 
to help us. But with us commited to expanding and deve,loping editorial 
under our own site, need to participate in IMCUK debates seems less 
needed. So with this me and ab have though we might keep out of this 
debate at network meeting, as we are guessing it may be deadlocked 
anyway. But who knows.

It seems the arguements are being played out before over email etc and 
this is good so options and implications thrashed out before network 
meeting.

cheers,

Space Bunny
http://imcscotland.org